Case of Delirium
by Sparky Leia
Summary: Rewrite. Let sanity be with us. . .don't go completely mental" The team takes over a mental hospital in hopes of proving that a suicide is actually a murder. "Let's go steal a psych ward."
1. Chapter 1

"In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same." -Albert Einstein

**Chapter One**

Nate sipped his coffee as he sat at the bar under his apartment. Just as Nate was about to relax, a close childhood friend texted him. He and Everett didn't hold much of a relationship. Yet, he found himself looking over the text for the tenth time.

My mom, Audrey, was murdered. I really need your help. —Everett

The middle-aged woman sighed as she sat down and ordered some diluted bourbon. She took a sip of the strong beverage.

_"Accidental?"_ Everett thought.

She signaled for the bartender to give her another round. Her smile was crooked towards the familiar scruffy-bearded man, but he smiled back at her. His eyes were trying to avoid the beverage in front of him.

"I'm sad to hear about Audrey," Nate said.

She rolled her eyes at the words, chuckling. "I am so tired of people apologizing."

She tossed the file to him, nursing her drink. Nate read it over, then closed it after hearing the ruling.

"It looks authentic. Audrey's therapist said she'd been upset since she got the news about Kyle's death in Afghanistan. She was already suffering from depression."

Everett groaned. "She didn't commit suicide, Nate. I know my mom. She was happy and doing better. Her therapist is wrong. You have to help me, Nate. I know that she didn't do this. Please," her voice cracked slightly when she begged.

"I'll have someone check it out, and I'll get back to you if we discover anything."

A small smile appeared on her tired expression. "Thank you."

"I'll call you a cab," he said, getting up.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly, and then he went to his apartment over the bar. Parker and Eliot were once again fighting on the couch.

"Move, Parker. You're too close," he growled.

She frowned. "You move. This is Sophie's spot. I'm waiting for her."

"Where is she?" Nate asked.

Parker knew the answer: Sophie had started seeing someone over the break. Parker shrugged and began to push Eliot.

"Move!" she yelled.

Nate gave Eliot a look as he sat his mug on the coffee table in front of him. Eliot grumbled and moved off the couch and onto the seat on the side of the blonde thief.

"Hardison, I need you to do some background on this mental hospital for me."

He handed the file to Hardison, who looked over the name: Lilly's Mental Sanctuary. He started typing the name into search engines. Nate sat down next to the seat that was protectively claimed for Sophie.

Sophie arrived when Hardison was ready to present the briefing.

"Aster Cowl, 32, he's the administrator of Lilly's Mental Sanctuary. This psychiatric ward has won awards for the best care with five stars. Now Everett isn't the only one who tried to expose them; there have been countless accusations of deaths that have been trampled with lawsuits and paperwork. I tried digging, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary."

"Were the deaths suicide?" Nate asked. The hacker nodded. Nate continued, "Our client said something about the therapists lying about her report. What do we have on everyone that works there?"

Hardison typed away on his keyboard. Parker elbowed Sophie roughly.

"I kept your secret," she said loud enough to cause Nate and Eliot to stare.

Sophie gave her a sad smile for the effort. "It wasn't a secret, Parker," Sophie whispered, "Everyone needs a little privacy."

Nate was still staring at the grifter.

"The therapists are all highly qualified with large bank accounts. What's weird is that the staff gets paid more than the therapists. I guess they're getting a little something-something for staging the bodies," Hardison jokes, causing Nate to give him a disappointing look.

"I guess we need to pay Lilly's Mental Hospital a visit," Nate said, still staring at Sophie.

"What con are we doing?" Sophie beamed, not taking her eyes from the screens.

"The long con, you think you can help us with it?"

A smile grew on the grifter's face. "Parker," her English accent showed from the thief's name. "We need to work on your acting. You are going to be inside the sanctuary. We would need you to talk to the patients, see if they know anything about these deaths, so, for you to be a patient, then you have to act the part."

"When isn't Parker acting like a psych patient," Eliot mumbled.

Parker shook her head quickly. "I'm not good at grifting. I Stab, Sophie."

"Parker, I'll help you," once Parker gave her an uneasy nod, Sophie turned to Eliot, "Eliot, you can be one of the doctors. You'll be able to look at the medical files without suspicion. Hardison, you'll be watching the feeds and making sure you have a track on everyone. I'll be the psychiatrist to see if I can connect more with the patients. Maybe I'll get them to reveal some things. Nate, you'll be the guard to learn more about these 'deaths.'"

"Then who will watch Parker? If these guards are killing off people, then who's looking out for Parker?" Eliot asked, trying to mask his concern.

"I guess you would need to work on your acting too. You'll join Parker as a patient." Sophie said to Nate.

Parker raised her hand. "Then who's going to lure the mark?"

Sophie had in mind whom she wanted to play the part. "I'll take care of it."

"Hardison, are there any openings?" Nate asked. The hacker typed on his keyboard, then shook his head. "Make one. We need to get two patients, a doctor, a shrink, and a guard in a psych ward," he smirked as he joined the hacker in front of the team. _**"Let's go steal a psych ward."**_

Hardison childishly raised his hand, "Wouldn't we be stealing patients?"

"That'll be kidnapping, genius," Eliot growled.

"So," the comment caused everyone to turn to Parker with confusion.

Nate sighed as the three started bickering. "What about Let's go steal a sanctuary. It has a nice poetic ring to it," Sophie said.

Nate placed his head in his hands. "The moment's over, Sophie." Sophie smirked, mouthing sorry.

* * *

_This is a rewrite of story I posted a year or so ago that got lost. After growing in skills, im glad im able to write this the way I want. Please review, like, etc. Ill always appreciate constructive criticism. _


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

"My roommate is creeping me out," Parker whispered.

"Then go talk to her. Patients know about everything that goes on around here. I have to go, don't leave that room before talking to her," Sophie said before joining her patient in her office.

Parker turned to the pale woman. "Alice," she said.

"Remy," her voice matched her ghostly appearance.

"So, what do we do around here to stop from being bored?"

She shrugged. "Besides cutting ourselves. We can go to the dayroom? They show movies around this time if you want to watch one."

Parker smiled at the woman's dark humor, nodding at the invitation. The two of them joined everyone in the spacious day room. A nurse was putting on an appropriate movie for the group. Remy took two empty seats for them.

"What are you here for?" Parker asked the woman.

"A lot," Parker waited for an answer. "I killed my family. They did test after test to figure out why. They evaluated I was clinically depressed, bipolar, and a long list of other things. Instead of spending time in jail, I was sent here. Indefinitely," Remy said sadly. "You have that multiple personality thing?"

Parker nodded, turning to the screen as a Disney movie played. "I was diagnosed, but refused to take my medication. Then I had an episode at work which landed me here. Why did you kill them?"

Remy shrugged. "I don't remember anything that happened. The doctors said I was there physically, but not mentally."

"Were you on drugs?" Parker asked bluntly.

Remy smiled slightly at her blunt question before shaking her head. "No, I was normal until that day."

"What happened that day?"

"I don't know. The entire day is gone. My psychiatrist tried everything to help me remember, but nothing. Right now, I'm set on having everything under control. What about you, do you know anything about your other identity?"

Parker shook her head. "No, just that I have one." Remy turned her attention to the TV. "Sophie," Parker whispered.

"Yes, Parker," Sophie answered.

"Remy talks as if she's been here for a while. Maybe she knows about Audrey."

"Parker, don't come out and ask her. Build a relationship with her. If something is going on in the hospital, then she might not want to tell you right away."

Remy turned to the thief. Parker gave her a small smile until she turned back towards the movie.

"Okay," Parker turned her full attention to the motion picture playing.

* * *

"I'm Dr. Laura Tanner," Sophie said, using an Australian accent. She turned to her left to Parker. "Why doesn't everyone introduce themselves and tell me their goals?"

"I'm Alice, and I want to understand more about why I have another identity," Parker said.

Sophie turned to the pale woman after the thief.

"My name is Remy, and I'd like to be happy," her voice matched her ghostly appearance.

Next to the ghostly woman was the opposite of Remy. She looked energized and full of life. She gave Sophie a warm smile. "I'm Casey Narberth. I love dancing and singing. I can perform for you if you like? Oh, and I don't really have a goal other than to get to go outside. I love the outdoors," Casey said.

"That's an admirable goal. Why don't you show me your singing during your personal session," Sophie said before turning to the man that was shifting uncontrollably next to Casey.

"Warren," he said quickly.

"What are your goals, Warren?" he shrugged. "You think later today, you might know?" he shrugged again. "Why don't you think about it until then."

Sophie went to the thin man after Warren.

"My names Connor and I would love to get the point added to

my name."

Sophie nodded. She focused her attention on the right of her, the last person in the group.

"I'm Adam, and I would like to trust people more," he was soft-spoken.

Sophie took in all the names on her notepad, then dismissed everyone for free time so she could search for her blonde grifter. She found the woman flirting with one of the other guards. Sophie frowned.

"Can I speak to you, 'Maddie'?" Sophie asked Tara.

Tara smirked at the other guard. "I'll meet you later, and you better pass that drug test," Tara said before following Sophie.

"Have you found out anything new?"

The blonde woman shook her head. "What about you?"

"Not much. I need you to check the lockers of the guards. Look for anything we can use for evidence."

"I'll do a routine check. I'm pretty sure some of the guards aren't actually passing their drug tests. I can use it as an alibi."

Nate heard the blonde grifter as he mentally crossed off the list of things everyone had to do for the plan to go smoothly. He looked over Hardison's shoulder. Nate checked the cameras Hardison had set up, making sure no one was coming.

"Don't get distracted, Hardison. Watch Sophie," he says as he checks the time.

Then Nate got out of the van and started to walk the block to the mental hospital. The guards checked him from anything the patients can steal to hurt themselves or others. He sat down for his evaluation.

Hardison recorded the process as he drank his orange soda. He watched as Sophie left one of the psychiatrist's office with some files in her hand. He checked the surroundings to see if anyone was coming. He choked on his drink when he saw Cowl coming towards the grifter.

He shoved in his earbud. "Sophie, Cowl heading your way."

The grifter ponders all the excuses she could use, settling for a simple one. The administrator raised an eyebrow to her. He peered down at the files in her hand.

"I don't think going through your peer's documents will make you any friends," Cowl said.

"I was collecting files from Dr. Crane, I believe. He had some files on my patients. However, I'm making friends quite fine," she smirked as she maintained her Australian accent. "What about you, why are you here?"

The man grinned though he stayed where he was. Sophie tried to remain calm. "Why do you need files of Rebecca's patients?" Cowl asked.

Sophie smiled inside, making a mental note about the use of the name he used. "I wanted to see if the current patients were friends with old patients."

"Why?"

"It helps build our relationship if I know who their friends and family are. I could explain the process to you if you'd like, though I do have to get back to my patients."

She pushed past him, waiting until she was out of earshot before speaking. "Parker, if you could get the chance, I need you to go to Dr. Crane's office and search through his locked drawer. Hardison,"

"Yep?"

"Cowl used the first name of a doctor that used to work here. I need Hardison to find everything on Rebecca. I need to know why she left and where she is now."

As Hardison typed away on his computer, Sophie went to check another doctor's office. She rambled through the papers on the man's desk. Sophie groaned when she found another locked drawer. She frowned and left the room to go to another office.

Parker watched as Crane left for his break. Once he was out of view, she slipped inside his office, making sure her com was on. She grabbed two paper clips, biting her lip as she started to work on the locked drawer. A smile grew at the sound of pins clicking. She looked through the files, organizing the patients who left and the ones who died. She placed the ones who left, back in the drawer, and then made a pile for accidental deaths and suicide deaths, leaving her with only three files. She quickly put all the other papers back, locking the drawer, and walked calmly out of the room.

She found Sophie struggling to open a locked door.

"Do you know what you're doing?" she chuckled to the grifter. Sophie moved out of the way as the thief got to work. "Hardison, can you see if the family of Dorothy Elise, Olivia Sanchez, and Takeshi Henry were part of the cases who made accusations," Parker said.

Hardison typed away on his computer. "The names of the people who accused are sealed, some were anonymous tips. I looked up Dorothy Elise next of kin, and they got a large donation from Lilly's Sanctuary to a cause under her name. Someone paid them to keep quiet about something. As for the others, it seems to me that they're drowning in hospital bills," he looked over at the security cameras before pulling up what he found on the name Rebecca. "There's only two Rebecca's that worked there that also left recently. One lives abroad in Japan, and the other isn't listed."

Parker opened the drawer and handed the files to Sophie before closing the drawer.

"The one who isn't listed might be living with Mr. Cowl now. Put all her information in a file, I'll read over it after the day is over," Sophie said as she and Parker went to the next psychiatrist's office.

* * *

Eliot held down a patient as the mentally insane man frantically clawed at him. Another doctor shoved a sedative in the frantic man's neck, then wiped the sweat from her face.

"This would've been a lot easier if you actually held him down," Rita spoke with agitation.

"I didn't want to hurt him," Eliot said as he lifted the man.

The two of them carried him into one of the quiet rooms. Eliot laid him down on his bed and strapped him down.

"As long as they don't hurt us, we won't hurt them. We use the necessary force to get the job done. It's either that or the patient will cause harm to everyone else in the ward, including themselves. If you can't handle that, then maybe you should find a different profession."

"I got it," Eliot growled as he closed the door to the padded room.

He and Rita went back to the primary office. Other doctors crowded to help the dozen complaining patients.

"Everyone," Rita says, "Our friend Dr. Abernathy has volunteered to 'help' take care of all these patients for us. Isn't that nice," Eliot glared at Rita. "I hope you can handle this job, Dr. Abernathy, because it's going to get a lot harder. But it's okay, I'll have some of the guards make sure you don't hurt the patients," she grinned.

As the other doctors went on break, the patients started to become distressed. Eliot grumbled foul words about the woman as he checked on his first of many patients.

* * *

Tara shook her head at the porno magazines and food in one of the guard's lockers.

"You're clean. You should never put personal belongings in your locker when we have a routine check-up. Spare yourself the embarrassment. Everyone back to your posts," The guards disbanded. Once the room was empty, she turned back on her comm. "There's nothing in their lockers. Nothing obvious anyways. No rope, no cord, nothing that could have been used to hang Audrey. I guess they're smart enough to destroy the evidence."

Sophie waited for Hardison to give the all-clear before she left out the last office with Parker stealthy trailing behind her.

"We found a total of fourteen suicides going back five years, including Audrey. Dorothy Elise and Olivia Sanchez overdosed. Takeshi Henney stabbed himself. Everyone else drowned. While Audrey hung herself," Parker said.

"That's a lot of drowning going unnoticed," Sophie chimed.

"How can something like this go unnoticed?" Nate whispered to himself from his abandoned room.

He laid across his bed, his head on an uncomfortable pillow. His face wrinkled as he tried to think of anything that would make anyone victims of murder. _Money._ Nate _thought. Everything is always about money, but whose? The victim's kin is in piles of debt except for Dorothy Elise's. It would cost the hospital more to pay for lawyers and cover-ups than for a few lawsuits._

So why kill fourteen people?

Nate sighed at the headache that started to form. He sat up.

"Hardison, I need you to give Eliot some trackers to give to Parker. We need to make sure at least Sophie's patients don't get killed. Tara, I need you to work a night shift and patrol to make sure no one turns up missing."

"What if they do?" Parker asked.

"Then we'll find them," the mastermind said before going back into his thoughts.

* * *

_Thanks for the review really appreciate it. Hope my improvements are shown in this rewrite._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Parker made a face at the brown slop that was thrown on her plate. She could clearly see the pills horribly hidden in the oatmeal.

"I want Rocket O's," she demanded to the woman serving food.

"Oatmeal is good for you. Did you try it?"

Parker played with her food. "It looks like vomit."

The cafeteria lady frowned before motioning her to move out the way. Parker sat next to Remy. She was more distant than usual. The woman kept shifting in her seat. Parker raised an eyebrow to her.

"What's wrong?" Parker asked.

The woman didn't answer. She got up from her table and went out to a level two area. Parker frowned and started playing with her food again.

Her attention turned to the scream behind her. She found that the cry came from the patient that wasn't in the group the other day. She was curled into a corner. One of her many therapists came to her aid then escorted her out of the lunchroom.

Parker turned to Casey. "What's wrong with her?"

Casey, for the first time since Parker met her, was silent. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at her food. Parker noticed that all of the patients were acting weird. One of the guards came in with Dr. Crane behind him.

Parker turned to him as she took a bite of her oatmeal before spitting it out.

"Ew!" she said loud enough, so the lunch lady could hear.

The lunch lady glared at Parker as she slapped down more of the hot cereal onto another patient's tray.

"I need to borrow a," Crane paused before looking at his board. "Charlie Booker?"

A tall, freckled face redhead stood up. Parker stared as the two men escorted him out. Nate slid down next to the blonde thief.

"Something's off," he said to her.

Parker nodded as she stared blankly. She looked around her for another exit. A vent could lead her out, but there are too many people with wandering eyes that would notice her. The only way to get out of the lunchroom is through a guard. Without clearance, she had to stay.

They had to stay an extra ten minutes after lunch because Parker couldn't leave without finishing her oatmeal, more noticeably, her pills. Out of retaliation she snuck out a spork, gripping it in her palm.

Everyone was confined in the day room. Sophie signed in for her shift, quickly noticing the behavior of her patients. She looked to Parker and Nate, but they looked more confused than her. She sat down in the center of the room for the group session. Her small group, now with Nate, took their seats around her.

"How's everyone's day going?" she asked them. Everyone murmured, 'fine.' "Quiet, aren't we? Why don't we start the group off by introducing a new face? May you say your name and your main goal," she said to the familiar face straight ahead.

"My name's Tom," Nate said, "I'll like to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Well, why are you here, Tom?"

Nate replayed his backstory in his mind. "I'm just here until I finish some tests."

Sophie nodded. "Thank you, Tom," she went to her left, and as always, the soft-spoken man was there. "Why don't we all state the reasons for how we got to this point in our lives. Adam, would you like to start?"

The man shifted at the sudden attention he was getting.

"Um, I-I have paranoia. I thought my wife was cheating on me. I followed her, and I found out she actually was. I guess my paranoia finally was right. I confronted her, and she lied about it. Telling me how it was a mistake, and it was the first time," he paused as he played with his hands. "I didn't mean to hurt her... The police came after a week or so, I kinda lost track of time. Her mother probably called. They found her in the basement. I was arrested."

"That's how you ended up here?" he nodded. "Thank you for sharing that with us," Sophie said.

"That's it? A thank you? Are you not going to announce the giant elephant in the room?" Connor said. "He kidnapped his wife, almost killed her, and he thinks it's okay. Are you just going to dismiss that?"

"We all need help in expressing our feelings differently. Why won't you try by telling everyone why you're here."

"I'm here because of my father. He never liked me, so when I told him I wouldn't take his crap anymore, he lost it. So I defended myself. . . by stabbing him."

Sophie sighed. "I'm sorry that happened, Connor."

The kid shrugged, turning his attention back to the floor.

"May I go?" Casey asked sullenly.

"Sure, Casey."

She smiled. Her usual persona returning instantly. "I'm here because my parents wanted me around people like me and to make new friends. I made a lot of friends. I can't even count on my hands and toes combined on how many friends I've made already."

"Airhead," Connor muttered.

"You were never counted," Casey joked. "I'm kidding. I've grown to love you. Now I have to add Tom."

Sophie smiled. "I'm pretty sure Tom would love to be your friend, Casey," her smile faded. "Why were we so quiet earlier?"

Casey and the rest of the group's demeanor changed again. The three teammates looked suspiciously at the group. Connor wasn't even making a snarky remark.

Sophie silently watched the group before breaking the silence. "Why don't we take a short recess then meet back up after everyone comes back from this 'nothing.'"

Parker had Sophie give her a clearance so she could search for Remy. She couldn't go to seventy percent of the halls without being past level four. She found Eliot flirting with one of the nurses.

"Mr!" she whispered loudly to him.

He groaned, recognizing her voice, then excused himself. He handed her the trackers Hardison made.

"Here, leave me alone," he said with agitation.

"Have a patient with the name of Remy checked in here?"

He frowned, checking some of the patient files before shaking his head. Parker sighed and left before Eliot started to get more frustrated with her presence.

Parker crept to a hall without any cameras. She unscrewed the nails and limbered herself through an air vent. She closed the small door behind her and quietly climbed into an air duct.

"Hardison," she whispered, "Can you give me the schematics of the air vents?"

The hacker typed away, "Where are you trying to go?"

"The roof."

Hardison skimmed the digital blueprints and found her location from her earbuds. "Keep going straight."

Parker closely followed his direction. She stopped and began to climb the tall duct leading up to the roof. She noticed the brunette sitting on the edge of a ledge. She quietly climbed out of the tight space and walked over to her.

"Why are you on the roof?"

Remy jumped at the sudden voice, almost losing her balance and falling to her death.

"Really, Alice?!" she said as she caught her breath. "You scared me."

"What's going on with everyone? Everyone's been acting strange all morning."

Remy shrugged and turned to the sky above her. "You ever wish you could leave? I don't care where. I'd drive for hours until I'm as far away from this place as possible."

Parker joined her on the ledge. Remy stood up and started walking along the edge. "I constantly wish for things, yet they never happened."

Parker followed her, making sure neither of them fell. She stopped next to the ghostly woman.

"What's going on?" Parker asked, but received a shrug once more from the woman. "Well, why are you on the roof?"

"Why did you follow me?"

Parker shrugged now. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Remy sat back down and dangled her legs over the edge. She tilted forward, staring at the people below her. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's going on?" The woman didn't say anything. "Remy?"

"Have you seen Charlie? I really liked Charlie. He was cool in a weird sadistic way."

Parker shook her head. "A guard and Dr. Crane took him away," Remy's body tensed. "What?"

"He's different. After his daughter got sick, sick like us, he's been different."

"Different how?"

"He just likes to do. . . things," Parker stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "He wants to 'cure' us," her voice sullen.

"What do you mean?"

Remy turned towards her. "Why do you keep asking so many questions?"

Parker shrugged. "I want to help."

"It's kinda late for that. It's been going on for over a decade."

"No one did anything all these years?"

Remy scoffed. "Who? Who's going to believe the mentally insane over the sane? I tried telling someone, but everyone thought I was lying. Everyone else is too frightened to come out. I merely learned to avoid him as much as possible. I don't snitch, and he doesn't run his tests."

"Why would anyone be scared of needles?"

"That's not what they're scared of. People have gone missing. I don't want to end up like Audrey."

"What happened to Audrey?" there was a long silence before the thief spoke up, "Remy?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Remy slammed her fist against the concrete ledge causing the thief to jump. Parker regained her balance, swearing under her breath. "I'm sorry. . .just stay low and don't get into any trouble. He won't even know you exist. He only cares for the really crazy ones. The violent ones. You're saner than all of us," Remy stood up, reaching out for the blonde's hand. "Stay sane, Alice. Don't trust anyone, and don't go completely mental."

"What do you mean by don't trust anyone?" Parker asked.

"Everyone here wants to be considered sane. These people will tear you down until you're beneath even them. The rest of us are already dead. Do not join us," the raven-haired woman turned her attention back to people below her.

"Sophie," Parker whispered into her earbud, "if Remy's telling the truth, then how am I supposed to be alone with these people. They're trying to get us to have a breakdown."

"Then, we work faster," Nate interjected. "Hardison, put everything in a file to send to Bonanno just in case things go south. Then take Eliot and go dig up the bodies of the fourteen victims. Look for any signs of foul play. Take pictures of everything you find. We need as much evidence as possible."

"What about you and Parker?" Hardison asked, concerned more for the thief.

"Tara and I will make sure we stay as far away from everyone as possible," Nate said into the comms. Remy smiled back at the two. "If she's telling the truth, then let sanity be with us."


	4. Chapter 4

I do apologize for the long pause in between chapters. Lot has happened, and I simply forgot to upload. Regardless thank you for the follows and favorites.

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

Eliot wiped the sweat from his face and frowned. "Hardison! Stop vomiting and help me pick up the body," Hardison lifted his head and started to gag. "Hardison," Eliot growled.

The hacker frowned. "I'm sorry if seeing a dead body is unsettling for me. Everyone isn't used to seeing dead bodies. We all can't be Eliot."

Eliot rolled his eyes. "Come here so we can get this over with."

"Give me a minute."

Eliot frowned but didn't argue. They've been shoveling for hours now and yet it felt like they've been at for twelve. They were carrying twice their weight; their knees felt as if it'll give out in any money; while sweat beat down their face. All the while they found merely six of the fourteen dead patients. Eliot would complain too if he found it would do any good.

Finally, Hardison collected himself and then helped the hitter throw the bodies in his trunk to take to Eliot's mortician friend.

* * *

Sophie woke up to her phone going off. She grumbled, her back aching from sleeping on the couch. She accidentally kicked Hardison as she stretched. He grumbled something, but he was too tired to move. Sophie smirked slightly and grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Soph, it's Tara. Nate wants me to check on you guys. Did you find anything?"

"I'm not for sure. Eliot and his friend, Marty, have been examining the bodies since midnight. What about you? What have you been able to get from the guards?"

"Not much., They're a tight little group. Either they're talking about their kids or their wives. None of them seem like people who would kill someone."

Sophie checked her watch for the time. 5:20 am. "With the right price people would do anything."

There was a pause before Tara spoke: "What if they're not the killers. We can't con honest people."

Sophie grabbed her jacket and fixed her hair into a ponytail. "Tara, they killed them. I talked with these patients. I've studied them. They're terrified of those guards."

"The other patient said not to trust anyone. These 'terrified.' patients could easily be lying to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. If anything, Dr. Crane could be doing this by himself."

"I think you're getting too personal with the guards. Don't forget that your friends might be people who hung, drowned, and poisoned fourteen innocent people."

Tara gave a hollow laugh. "I'm getting personal? Did you not hear Remy say that these so-called innocent patients will tear you down into insanity. Let's face it, Sophie, how many bad guys are we taking down here?"

Sophie frowned, not knowing the answer to her question. "I'll talk to you later."

She hung up on the blonde grifter before she could continue the conversation. She sighed as she laid her face in her palms, then joined Eliot downstairs. She shivered at the low temperature of the room.

"Where's Marty?" Sophie asked him.

"Taking the bodies back."

Sophie sat down on the empty table. "Have you found anything?"

"Whoever killed Takeshi did so professionally. The victim had no defensive cuts anywhere. He suffered one wound to his abdomen cavity, which was perfectly placed to kill him instantly. That, plus the presence of the note and fingerprints along with the makeshift knife, had both Marty and me convinced that this was a suicide."

"Past tense?"

Eliot grinned and made his way to the end of the table. "I found; however, needle marks on his head after we shaved his hair. Marty ran his tox screen and found Cyanide and a whole lot of Chlorpromazine. Never mentioned in the police report."

"Cyanide? Known as the suicide pill," she scoffed, "They really are trying to make it look like this was a suicide."

"Chlorpromazine is the medication for Schizophrenia and checked the record on Takeshi, and that is what it said he had."

"So, what, Dr. Crane thought hyping him up on his meds would cure him?"

Eliot shrugged. "I don't know. Everyone had needle marks on their scalps, but no one else had their medication in their system besides Dorothy, Olivia, and Takeshi. From the examination, Dorothy and Olivia died from their medicine. Overdosed. Everyone else who drowned was found with a bunch of chlorine in their lungs. Guessing whoever used it, did so as a gas. The only body we were having difficulty with was Audrey. She was the latest death, so maybe whoever killed all these people are evolving and getting better because we found no evidence of foul play."

Sophie frowned, "If they kill someone else, then they'll be no evidence to tie them back to it."

"Then we can't let anyone else get killed."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Parker found her way to her room, where Remy was lying on her bed. Parker bounced on the mattress next to her. Her happy mood changed when the woman's body started convulsing.

"Nurse!" Parker called out.

Someone quickly came in. The nurse pushed Parker out the way and turned Remy on her side. The patient continued to jerk, now drool streaming from her lips. Parker couldn't stop staring at Remy's eyes as they rolled in the back of her head. Parker's own body shook in fear of her friend.

"Code 13!" the nurse yelled out.

The medical team rushed in, forcing Parker to wait outside the room. She slid down against the wall and pulled herself into a ball. Memories of her brother Nick flooded through, and she tried hard to control the anxiety attack that usually followed. She swallowed hard and concentrated on her breathing. _Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. It's just a molehill. One molehill, two molehills, three molehills, she silently counted._

She stood up and wiped her tears when she saw Nate coming to her.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

Parker shrugged, pretending in her little world that she's perfectly sane for a moment. "I don't know. I walked in to talk to her, and she started seizing."

"Parker, are you alright?"

Parker nodded before turning away to look back in her room. Past the nurses, she could see that Remy has stopped shaking. A nurse checked her pulse, then two of them rushed her to the emergency room with Parker closely following behind until the nurse told her to wait outside.

She paced frantically as her mind raced. 'Dr. Crane tried to kill her.' She felt someone touch her shoulder, causing her to jump back. The familiar hitter looked at her sadly.

"They're saying she tried to overdose on her antidepressant medication."

Parker shook her head, "No, no. She wouldn't try to kill herself, I know her. It was Dr. Crane. She wouldn't leave me," her voice cracked at the words.

"Sweetheart, I know, but everyone else thinks otherwise. I need you to do a job for me, can you do that?" Parker nodded instantly. "Can you keep track of everyone who comes in and out on this floor? Alright? You think you can do that for me?"

"I'll make sure I'll look out for Dr. Crane. I promise."

"More than him, nurses too. Everyone. We don't want anyone else trying to hurt her, so I need you to watch her, okay?"

"Yes, I promise."

Eliot smiled at her as he punched her in the shoulder. "And stop thinking about her. She'll be fine."

Parker didn't nod, just peered at Remy's door.

Eliot clocked out for an early lunch break. He was trying hard to keep Parker's mind busy. The last thing they needed was for her to go off the rails.

He put his earbud in, "Hardison, you find anything on the cameras?" he asked the hacker.

"No one came in nor out of their room. I followed Remy around, and she went into one of those blackout areas where there are no cameras. I wasn't able to track her."

Eliot sighed. "You're incredibly useful."

Hardison ignored the remark as he thought about his blonde thief, "how's Parker?"

"She could be worse."

Now Hardison was trying to keep his mind busy. "Tara cloned Cowl's phone, and now I'm, um, I can track it. His phone, I mean. He made calls to a set of numbers that bounced all over the place. I was able to track it and narrow it down. I'll have Sophie check it out with me. Talk to Rita. Perhaps she knows more than her hatred for you."

Parker scanned her surroundings carefully. She knew Eliot only gave her this task so she wouldn't find Crane herself, but she was willing to obey him. For now, anyway. Parker took note of the faces of everyone that walked by Remy's room. Her work helped her recall even the slightest details, including those of a person.

She got so caught up in her thoughts that when Remy's doctor came out and tapped her shoulder, she jumped from her chair.

"Are you Alice?" he asked her, she nodded, "she's asking for you."

Parker followed him in as he showed her to her friend. Parker smiled at the ghostly woman. Her skin was pale, and her mouth reeked of puke. Parker sat down on her bed. The room was quiet until the doctor left.

"Did you try to kill yourself?" she asked, though afraid of the answer.

Remy played with her hands, shrugging.

"If Dr. Crane did this, we can tell someone. He'll go to jail, and then you won't ever have to deal with him again."

Remy chuckled. "And who's going to believe me?"

"Someone. We have to try."

"What do you think I've been this entire freaking time? This is your fault. I told you, and you end up telling some crazy hippie doctor about it. Now she's telling everyone else about my '_delusions,'_ and all this gets back to him. If I didn't tell you, I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be having my stomach pumped from meds that I don't even remember swallowing. I would be nowhere near this place. I would be halfway through recovery and maybe out of here. Now I took ten steps back."

"This is not my fault. I had to tell. . . I wanted to protect you."

Remy scoffed and turned back towards the wall. "I can do that

myself."

Parker frowned. "Did you ask me in here to express your feelings? He would've killed you if I didn't tell. You think when someone does come snooping around here, you won't be the first loose end he'll clean up. He already killed those other patients. You honestly think he won't do the same to you?"

She rolled her eyes at the comment, "I just want to get out of here. I want to get better. Just leave me alone,"

"Fine," Parker said as she got up from the bed and left.

She stomped back to their room. She ripped the drawers from her dresser, frantically yanking the stolen spork from the cafeteria. She snapped the end leaving it with a sharp edge. Then the thief went to go find the crazed doctor herself.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter Six?_**

Tara smelt the unpleasant aroma of vomit as she went into the locker room. She held her breath as she sat down in front of the bathroom.

"James?" she asked towards the sounds of gagging.

The toilet flushed, and he came out. He splashed some cold water on his face then joined Tara on the floor in front of the stalls.

"Why were you vomiting?" he shrugged and continued to stare blankly at the lockers in front of him. "There was another suicide. Though it wasn't a suicide, was it?" he didn't respond. "I can't do anything to help you if you don't talk to me. What's going on?"

He started banging his head against the wall. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tara frowned and placed her hand behind his head. "Are you seriously going to go to jail for these people? Destroy everything you have to help them? You can't even stomach what you did. You honestly think they won't get rid of you when they find out you can't handle it?"

He shrugged once more. "Maybe that's what I deserve," he used his hands to wipe the tears welling in his eyes. "They knew I needed the money. I have a kid with medical bills, and my insurance won't pay for it. What else was I supposed to do?"

"How many people are involved in this?"

He paused for a second, then answered, "almost everyone on our floor."

"You know who's in charge?"

"I just listened to JJ, the night supervisor. Whenever they needed help staging, they call us. They asked me maybe a few months after my arrival. I've been helping for maybe four months. Doing everything they asked."

She stared at her hands as she asked, "have you ever helped kill anyone?"

"Charlie Booker. They said he was too jumpy lately. They were scared he was going to talk. They told me to push his head underwater so that he'll be unconscious."

"Was he unconscious?" James shook his head at the question. "You think you're willing to say this in front of a friend of mine?"

"They'll kill me."

"I promise I won't let that happen."

"How?"

"Just a guy by the name of Detective Bonanno."

* * *

Rita handed the hitter a cup of coffee; eyebrows furrowed to the statement: Crane's running tests on the patients.

"And the proof for this accusation is?" she asked.

Eliot sighed. He didn't have anything physical to show, "You're telling me all these suicides are just a coincidence?"

"Do you know where we are? It happens, add that on with not being mentally stable, then it triples the statistic of suicide. It's not uncommon, Dr. Abernathy."

He frowned, "Neither is what these patients are going through. Think, my patient can't be the only one who spoke up." Rita nodded, "What about patients come in having seizures, or showing signs of potential overdosing on medication? Anything."

She paused, thinking for a second before walking them over to her office. She shuffled through the drawers, then tossed seven files to the hitter.

"One other came in like your patient, four came with potential signs, and two came in after suffering episodes from taking the wrong medication. It's odd. I'll give you that. However, I wouldn't say there are signs of torment from Dr. Frankenstein."

Eliot crossed referenced the names in the file with the names of the suicides, and they all matched. "These are the same patients who later committed suicide. If you put together sudden unexpected "suicides" with patients overdosing and taking the wrong medication, and allegations, what do you get?"

She looked at him for a long moment before smiling, "You are not a real doctor. Are you?" he smirked and shook his head, "Figured. Who sent you?"

"Aubrey's daughter."

Rita's smile disappeared, "Aubrey was a good person. She told me about all her goals, and she was trying to get out of this place. Tell her daughter I express my condolences."

"You can tell her yourself when you testify against Dr. Crane."

* * *

Sophie and Hardison pulled up to a small home. There was no sign of anyone even on the block beside the two thieves.

"I read some of her notes," she said before the two of them got out of Lucille. "The way she talked about her patients, it seems she had a deep connection with them. If we weren't investigating her for being involved with Mr. Cowl, then I'd say she was one of those hippie doctors,"

Sophie knocked on the door, and they waited until a tall brunette opened.

"May I help you?" the young woman asked.

"I'm looking for a Rebecca Copper," the woman at the door nodded at the name, "I'm Laura, I work at Lilly's Mental Hospital. Do you remember Audrey Reid?"

She smiled slightly at the name, but it faded. She invited the two of them in, sitting down on one of her sofas. "Her daughter came a few months back. She told me that her mother committed suicide."

"Did she ever try to contact you again?" Hardison asked.

She nodded, "Last week, she told me that she thought someone murdered her mother. Honestly, I think she's going through a lot since her mother died. Everyone wants to believe their loved ones are happy, even when they're not."

"What about you? Do you think Audrey committed suicide?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, there were signs of her being suicidal when I was talking to her. I even told Everett about it, but she kept saying how she thought her mother was doing better."

"What about these patients?" Sophie said as she handed her the list of suicides.

Rebecca chuckled slightly, "Those patients seemed happy to me. They were doing good in the programs and moving quickly up levels. If they kept getting better, then they would've been out soon."

"We think that these suicides are someone 'curing.' patients to death."

"Curing?" she handed back the folders, "If someone's talking about curing patients, then I guess you have spoken with Ms. Remy. She went on about Dr. Crane wanting to as you say 'cure' patients. However, she does have a history of making up false memories."

"What about Mr. Cowl, or anyone else, do you think someone besides, Crane is involved."

Rebecca frowned, "My husband has nothing to do with this."

"He might not know what's going on, but he might've been covering it up. Does he seem more secretive? Irritated once he comes home, stressed?"

"I think you should leave now."

The two of them got up, moving towards the door, "If you think of anything, you can contact us?" Sophie said as she handed the woman their card before the grifter and hacker left.

"You think she'll call Cowl and blow our covers?" Hardison asked.

"I don't know. We had to take the chance. But if she does, we should be ready for hell itself to rain down."


	7. Chapter 7

**_Chapter Seven?_**

_It's not my fault. _The thief repeated to herself. Her thoughts came to a halt as she collided with Warren. "Ow."

The man's hair was a mess, and his clothes were covered in stains. His gaze stayed on the floor, his body fidgeting. Parker wanted to ask if he was okay, but she had to help Remy. She gave him a small smile as she tried to walk around him, but he grabbed her wrist.

"I. . . It's not fair. You just got here, and they're talking of you leaving soon."

"If you don't let go, then you're leaving for the emergency room."

His eyes still didn't look up at her, "I don't understand. What did I do wrong?"

She tried to yank her arm free, but it only made his grip git tighter. "Warren, I'm sorry you're not leaving. But you have to let go," he ignored her.

She frowned. She tried to knee the man in the groin, but he blocked it. His grip was now tighter. She sighed — swearing to herself. Then clocked him in the face. When the man yelled, the nurses came running her way. _Oh, now they come._ She thought.

"What happened," one of the orderlies asked.

"He came for me,"

A security guard grabbed her shoulder. _I don't have time for this._ Before she could elbow him and take off, a voice called out, "I can take it from here."

Though she was searching for Crane, coming face to face with him left her with an uneasy feeling. "Meet me in my office, Ms. Alice," his smile appeared charming.

She pushed her feelings aside as she followed the man, placing her earbud in her pocket. She took a seat in one of the uncomfortable leather chairs that sat in front of a well-kept desk. "What's happened in the hallway?"

"He came after me."

"Why do you think he did that?"

The woman shrugged, "He heard some rumor of me leaving soon."

"Well some rumors have some truth to it. Do you believe those rumors? That you're better enough to leave."

There was silence as she played with her hands. "Yes, I mean, I know I'm way more sane than everyone else, but. . ." her attention stayed on her hands.

"You don't seem that confident in your answer," he paused, "I want to help you, Alice. Do you want my help?" If she didn't already know his attention by the words, she would've believed him.

Her face grimaced at the comment. "I'm not in your office for your help. I'm here for Remy," his brows furrowed in confusion. "She told me that you hurt her."

"I have never hurt Ms. Remy. My only aim is to help the patients here."

She looked up at him, "And you call killing your patients, helping them?"

The smile that was once charming caused her skin to crawl. She watched as Crane stood and took a seat on his desk in front of her. "You should be more perceptive, Ms. Alice."

Before she could realize what he meant by that, she felt a stinging feeling in her shoulder. Everything seemed clouded as she tried to focus. _Idiot. Idiot._ She thought. She tried to muster the strength to stand up, but some stocky guard blocked her. _Oh. That's what he meant._ She held onto the arm of her chair as she slowly blacked out. Eliot is going to kill me.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chapter Eight?_**

Nate looked behind the corner, sighing when he didn't see the familiar blonde. He was hoping she didn't do anything stupid. He could already hear Sophie screaming at him for losing her. It was too dangerous for the blonde to freelance. Cowl could be on to them. The man killed before to keep people's silence. Parker didn't answer her earbud, and Hardison couldn't track it.

Hardison frantically looked through all the security feed.

"I followed her coming out of Remy's room, going out of ward four, and then she went into a zone without cameras. After that, I guess she went into an air vent because she's nowhere. Literally nowhere. I'm still combing through all the footage, but this was hours ago. She could be anywhere. We don't have the time to look at every camera from every single minute," he said to the rest of the team.

"She'll be fine. We will find her," Sophie reminded everyone as Eliot and her speed-walked towards Remy's room.

The brunette patient was flipping through the channels when the grifter and hitter quickly came in, closing the sliding doors behind them.

"Where's Alice?" Eliot barked at the woman. Remy shrugged not paying them any attention. He took the remote from her and turned off the TV, "Alice is missing, and the last person she talked to was you. Where is she?"

"As I gestured before, I don't know."

Eliot glared at her, "What were you talking about before she left?"

"I don't recall having to reveal personal conversation with a med doctor."

"I'm not playing with you," he growled.

Sophie sat down on the woman's bed, "Did this conversation involve Dr. Crane? Because I do believe you, Remy." Remy looked at the patterns in her covers, avoiding the statement. "He can't get away with hurting people like that, and I think that Alice knows that. Do you think she might have gone after him?"

Remy nodded, "I was mad at her, and I told her to get Dr. Crane attention herself."

"Do you think you can help us find her?" Remy nodded once more, "Where does he like to have his patients?"

"He usually drugged us so much that I couldn't even remember my name. One time I guess he didn't give me enough because it wore off. I remember it being the furnace room. I would always smell something burning."

Sophie smiled at her before, Eliot and her searched the basement for the furnace. The two of them swept the entire area twice, and there were no signs of Parker. They started heading back when Cowl stopped them.

"I heard you're looking for, Alice. Oh, I'm sorry, you might be more familiar with Parker."

Hardison knocked over his laptop as he started running towards the hospital.

"Hardison, don't. I know you're concerned, but we can handle this," Nate said towards the hacker's labored breathing. "Follow plan J."

"I'm not going to leave her in there with a killer."

"Hardison, right now, she needs us to finish this. Do it, or none of us will be getting out of here."

The hacker sighed and walked back to Lucille. He placed his laptop down, then gathered everything into a file. "Done, now what do you want me to do?"

"Now, we call detective Bonanno."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter Nine?_**

Sophie sadly looked at the blonde as Dr. Crane possessively had his hands on her shoulders. They needed to buy time, but the more time they wasted, the more irritable their marks were going to get.

Eliot walked in, tension covering his body. "This is everything we have on you."

Cowl looked over the file, "This is nice. If we hadn't figured you out, you would've got concrete evidence," Cowl smiled, giving the folder over to Crane. "Who told you about us?"

"No one. We wanted to know how the most successful mental hospital in Portland can have no dirt on them. We spent less than a month here, yet we found out more about you than the police have in years."

"What dirt?"

The hitter peered over to Parker. She was shifting away from Crane, but Eliot didn't see any physical signs of pain. The thief gave him a reassuring nod to tell him that she was okay.

He needed to buy time so Detective Bonanno could arrive.

"We know you covered up the wrongful murders of fourteen patients, and you buried their families in lawsuits — a pretty decent job for a hospital. The only thing I couldn't figure out is why. Why kill these patients?"

"They were sick," Crane stepped in, "I didn't kill them. I tried to make them better."

"Like what you did for your daughter?"

Crane gritted his teeth at the comment. "Not everyone is ready for my help."

Eliot frowned, "What type of help could 'you' give them?"

"I was going to cure these patients. No one else cared enough to help them. Do you know what it is like to live with someone with a mental illness? Every morning you wonder what they would do next. No matter how much you want to help them you are worthless. Veronica tried to end her life four times before the doctors put her in my ward. Just like these patients' families, I had no other choice. Their psychiatrists spent years talking to them, but they're still here. Yet, in seconds I could do something for them that no one else could. I can help them. I only took the ones who needed me. The ones who I could ease the burden they put on everyone around them. I was not only doing them a favor but their families."

The hitter clenched his jaw, stopping himself from 'helping' Crane.

"They didn't need your help. Neither does Alice," Sophie said as she blocked Eliot from getting a clear shot to Crane's face.

Crane raised an eyebrow to her, smiling slightly. "Parker," he exaggerated her name, "does need my help. You can't play crazy unless you're crazy yourself."

"She's not crazy. The deal was the files for Parker."

"She needs me," his grip tighten on her shoulders.

The thief remained stiff under him. "Sophie," she mouthed.

"I'll give you ten seconds to let her go," Eliot threatened, pure hatred in his eyes.

Cowl smirked, "You'll give us?" he pulled out a gun and pointed it to Parker's temple. "Your team tried to steal everything from me. If you honestly think I'm letting you walk out alive, then you're more insane than these patients. Even with your skills, are you quicker than a bullet?"

Parker fearfully peered at the hitter. _0.01 seconds for the bullet to leave the barrel and connect to the blonde's temple. It'll take me 1.7 seconds to process and grab Parker. I can't be faster than a bullet. But I won't have to. It'll take Parker 0.7 seconds to get out the way, which might be quicker than 0.01 if she knows when to get down._ Eliot thought.

"I'm not faster than a bullet, but I can still get over there before you shoot Dr. Tanner or me."

"You'll let me kill your thief?"

Eliot shrugged, "You're right, she is crazy. Maybe by stabbing her in the back, she'll know how much of a burden she is."

It's Wednesday. Parker thought. She took out the sharpen spork from her pocket then lunged it into Crane's abdomen. The man screamed in pain, dropping her to the floor. The faster you travel, the slower time moves. The time slowed as Parker dropped to the floor, and Eliot ran towards Cowl. Sophie was on the ground crawling to the thief when the thundering sound of two bullets rang from the barrel. Eliot grabbed the 9mm from Cowl and sent a hard blow to his face.

Crane ran once the gun didn't stop Eliot from fiercely pounding into Cowl. Nate ran towards the hitter and pulled him off.

"I'll take care of him. Sophie got shot. Take them back to the van,"

Eliot got off of the administrator. He noticed Sophie trying to limp Parker and herself out of the room.

"Stop, you'll make it worse," he said as he picked her up. He turned to Parker, "Did you get hit?" She lied when she shook her head. "Don't lie to me, Parker."

"She's shot in her stomach, she's more important. I can take care of myself."

Eliot looked over her, but Sophie began to lose consciousness. He had to make the decision to ignore Parker's wounds. "Put pressure on it, Parker," he said, hoping it'll aid the blood flow that started to stain her t-shirt.

Nate glared down at the cripple bleeding body.

"I was trying to help you, but since the fact, you just shot two of my teammates. One which you threaten to kill. I'm not so sure."

Cowl spat out the blood from his mouth, "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Nate kneeled to the administrator's level, "I'm dealing with someone I have leverage over. Someone who'll rather let a few patients die than fire one of their best doctors. You managed to fire Rebecca, but I guess Crane has more of a soft spot for you," a hard kick went to the man's abdomen, "I'm not the one who's going to be scared. If my partners don't make it out alive, I will find you, and I won't make it look like a suicide."

Bonanno touched the mastermind's shoulder. Cowl smiled at the man.

"Detective Captain Bonanno. Massachusetts State Police. Are you Mr. Cowl?" the cop said to the administrator.

"Yes, this man just tried to kill me."

Bonanno looked over to Nate, "Really?"

"He tripped down some stairs from what I saw. Might've been pushed by that crazy doctor," Nate said as he casually joined his team in the van.

Bonanno handcuffed the man, "Aster Cowl, you're under arrest for fraud, obstruction, hindering an investigation, and an accomplice in multiple counts of manslaughter. You have a right to an attorney. If you can't afford one, one will be appointed to you. Anything you say or do will be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand your rights?"

Bonanno sat the man in his squad car. The administrator stared at the team. Nate smirked at the man as Hardison pulled off aside the detective and Cowl.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten?**_

Everett sat down at the bar with the mastermind and healing grifter. He handed Everett a small envelope. Her hands shook as she opened it.

"Hardison was able bankrupted half the staff by signing them up to donate to our charity."

She gave him a small smile, "Thank you, Nate. What about Mr. Cowl?"

"Both him and everyone else involved will be going away for a long time. Eliot and Tara were able to convince some people to make sure of it. I don't think the jury will allow them to get off after hearing what they did."

She nodded, "My mom would be happy."

Sophie looked at the woman sadly, "Everett," she paused when she noticed Nate's sullen expression, "From what I read your mom was an amazing person."

"Thank you, Ms. Devereaux. I can never thank you guys enough. I will be eternally grateful for what you've done for my family," Everett said as she got up, "I'd better get going. My flight will be here soon."

"Take care," Sophie said as the brunette left.

Nate ordered some coffee, "You didn't tell her."

"Sometimes we like to see what we want to see. Her mother was happy. That's how she should remember her."

He nodded placing money for the bill on the counter before helping the grifter up. They arrived at his apartment to Eliot making dinner.

"You tell her the truth about her mom? That she did infact commit suicide." Eliot asked.

Nate shook his head as he helped Sophie down on the couch where Parker kept playing with the swing that held her wounded arm.

"Hey," Sophie said to the thief. Parker didn't acknowledge her, so the woman moved closer to her. "No one believes what Crane said. You're not crazy, Parker."

Parker frowned, "You're trying to do that thing to make me feel better, aren't you?"

"Well if you're crazy, so am I."

"You don't stab people when they get too close,"

Sophie adjusted herself on the couch, "I kinda do. Whenever I feel like I'm getting too close to someone I run away. I'd rather be alone than reveal myself to them. I'm so used to lying to them that when they want the truth, I'd give them a lie. Everyone's a little insane."

"Not like me," Parker mumbled, "Crane's right. Something's wrong with me."

"What do you think it is?" Sophie pried.

Parker blinked away the tears from her eyes, "I don't know."

**_"Let us consider that we are all insane. It will explain to us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles… " —Mark Twain_**


End file.
